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The zoo said in a statement to MailOnline: Last Monday, Loro Parque simulated the escape of an animal from its enclosure in the gorilla park.

'As part of the procedure, which took place in the security zone of the area and was only attended by authorised personnel of the park, they set off the emergency alarm used in this type of situation.

'Once the various activities and communications were carried out according to protocol, a keeper from the wild mammals team was struck by a tranquiliser shot that the vets use in this kind of situation using a cerbatana.'

'As a result, he was quickly seen by paramedics and immediately taken to Hospital Universitario Canarias, where he was treated and then discharged.

'He has recovered well and is now in good health and is grateful for all the messages of concern he has received.

'As a matter of course, Loro Parque, like all zoos and animal parks, regularly carries out this kind of emergency drill.

Zoos around the world carry out animal escape drills - and often they use a human dressed in a gorilla suit as seen here in a Tokyo zoo in 2007

'These simulations are designed to guarantee security, emergency measures, and to train people who work in these enclosures.

Tranquilliser
darts are filled with a chemical that when injected, temporarily
sedates an animal - they work within a matter of minutes.

The tranquilliser can be a sedative,
anesthetic, or paralytic agent.

Zoos around the world carry out animal escape drills - and in the past they used a human dressed in a gorilla suit.

In a Tokyo zoo they practice surrounding the escapee with nets before pretending to shoot it with a tranquilising dart and returning it to its enclosure.

In
2009 Loro Parque hit the headlines when Alexis Martinez Hernandez, 29, a
wildlife trainer, died after falling from a whale and crushing his rib
cage.

Park officials said the whale, a 14-year-old named Keto - who was born at SeaWorld Orlando -made the unusual move as the pair rehearsed a stunt in which the whale lifts the trainer and leaps into the air.

In 2009 Loro Parque hit the headlines when Alexis Martinez Hernandez, 29, a wildlife trainer, died after falling from a whale and crushing his rib cage